Retail trading hours in NSW: ministers, union want guarantee

Workplace Editor

Christian Democratic Party MLC Fred Nile and Gerard Dwyer of the Shop Distributive and Allied Employees Association at a rally outside the NSW Parliament on Wednesday. Photo: Anna Patty

A holy row is building over shopping on public holidays in NSW.

Ministers of religion and union leaders are asking Premier Barry O'Farrell to guarantee that retail trading hours won't be extended to include Good Friday, Easter Sunday, Boxing Day and Anzac Day.

The economic case has not been made for opening trade on Easter Sunday. We can have good post-Christmas sales on December 27.

"This is about the freedom of families to spend time together," said Reverend Keith Garner of the Wesley Mission. "We are only talking about four and a half days that we want to preserve."

Hundreds of retail and warehouse workers rallied at Australian Technology Park on Wednesday as part of the "Take the Time" campaign to improve work/life balance.

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Meanwhile, ministers from the Anglican, Catholic, Uniting and Baptist churches and representatives of Wesley Mission and the Shop Distributive and Allied Employees Association signed an open letter to Premier Barry O'Farrell, which they presented to Christian Democrats leader Fred Nile.

Mr Nile addressed the delegation outside NSW Parliament on Wednesday. He said he was committed to opposing the state government plans to extend trading hours to Boxing Day, saying it could eventually lead to further extensions, including Easter Sunday.

But Treasurer Mike Baird said he is committed to extending retail trading hours to include Boxing Day, to bring NSW in line with other states such as Victoria.

“It makes no sense that around a third of the state can trade on Boxing Day following exemptions for 'tourist trading precincts' approved by previous governments, but the rest cannot," he said.

“The modernisation of retail trading laws in NSW is well overdue."

Gerard Dwyer, NSW branch secretary for the Shop Distributive and Allied Employees Association, said workers are concerned that the federal government is considering seeking an agreement to introduce uniform trading hours across the country.

"At the core of these public holidays are people's families and friends," he said. "The economic case has not been made for opening trade on Easter Sunday. We can have good post-Christmas sales on December 27."

Reverend Keith Garner, the chief executive officer of the Wesley Mission, who is among the letter's signatories, said the issue is not only about the freedom of retailers to trade during holidays had to be balanced against the freedom of families to spend time together.

"I also think this is an acid test for how important the Christian faith is in our community," he said. "I am looking to our leaders to reflect on individual religious freedom. Good Friday and Easter Day are critical days on the Christian calendar."

Mr Baird said no employee would be forced to work on Boxing Day, but the government was "determined to resolve this impasse to create a level playing field across the state".

The NSW government introduced a bill in 2012 to extend retail trading hours but was forced to withdraw it because of a lack of support in the upper house.

The state government says there is no consistency in which areas are designated as tourist trading precincts, allowing them to trade on Boxing Day, and which ones are not.

"For example, Shellharbour can trade and Wollongong cannot; Maitland can trade and Newcastle cannot; Narromine can trade and Dubbo cannot," a government spokeswoman said.

"As a result, the loss of trade for those shops not situated within designated zones is viewed as discriminatory and offers an unfair competitive advantage."

41 comments

Give us all a bit break with all these "shopping experiences" ! Enough is enough and Holidays means Holy Days!In the Islamic countries -which as a part of the Multiculturalism should be your favourites- on Id-ul-Fitr the shops are also closed! So please GIVE US BREAK!

So true - do they ever consider the adults who believe in the tooth fairy, or Bacchus? He is my favourite god - just as important.

Commenter

kangavik

Location

Bondi

Date and time

March 12, 2014, 7:20PM

Why not have a vote? If members don't want to work then don't. Some may prefer the extra money. Workers should never be forced to do something they don't. They need quality time with their family members as well not just bosses.

Commenter

Noogie

Location

Bundaberg

Date and time

March 12, 2014, 5:11PM

Vote with your wallet! Best way.

Commenter

Russ

Date and time

March 12, 2014, 5:36PM

Why not - we've just about abandoned every value this country ever held dear - why not destroy whats left left? 100% consumerism here we come!

Commenter

monique

Location

Sydney

Date and time

March 12, 2014, 5:12PM

Whie we're talking about trading hours and tourism - why don't we change the core hours tha retail shops and services such as post offices and banks are open to something people actually use. You could shoot a cannon through most retails stores before lunchtime and not hit anyone.

If these places ran from something like 11am to 9pm it would make much more sense for people who work during the day and it would encourage people to hang around in the city, etc after they finish work at 5-7pm. Might even help the "struggling retail sector" we all hear about, which at the moment doesn't see me at all during the week, and rarely on weekends - it's easier to shop online. Let alone all the people who've experienced the joy of trying to retreive a parcel from the post office when it only opens 9-5.

Make up for the extra hours by having retail closing after lunch on Sundays if you like - who the hell rushes down to Myers at 3pm on a Sunday anyway....

Commenter

Shop Bot

Date and time

March 12, 2014, 5:13PM

You took the words out of my mouth! It is ridiculous how retailers cry about retail slump and yet when full time job holders finally get some free time to spend their money, everything is closed. It is not even anything new: most of Europe is open from 11 to 9 pm if not later. I would even be OK with lunch time siesta! Retailers, if you want sales, sell when people with money cam shop!

Commenter

Sceptic

Date and time

March 12, 2014, 6:19PM

You don't have to be religious think these are good occassions to allocate for families and friends.